David Cameron has shifted ground on Europe hours before the Tories come under pressure at the polls from UKIP. The Prime Minister hinted that he might give MPs a vote on an in-out referendum before the next election. If passed, the vote would enshrine in law his promise to put the issue of

Ed Miliband executed a swift and face-saving U-turn yesterday, admitting that borrowing under a Labour government would rise in the short term. After refusing to address the issue on the World at One programme on BBC Radio 4 the previous day, the Labour leader conceded that his proposed emergency

A simmering coalition row over the fate of hundreds of Afghan interpreters burst into the open yesterday when Nick Clegg said it would be morally indefensible to “turn our backs” on them. The Deputy Prime Minister urged David Cameron to grant asylum to those working alongside British troops rather

Britain was plunged into a diplomatic row with South Africa yesterday after pulling the plug on aid to the country. Pretoria’s Department of International Relations accused ministers of acting without warning and said that the decision would damage long-term relations. The Government’s

Senior Conservatives have urged David Cameron to delay asking the Queen to sign the Government’s Royal Charter on press regulation and give the rival plan put forward by newspaper groups a chance to work. Peter Lilley, appointed by the Prime Minister last week to a new Downing Street policy board

The chairman of the influental Commons Public Accounts Committee has said that she will demand answers from Revenue and Customs chiefs about so-called “sweetheart” tax deals. Margaret Hodge is to question revenue bosses about four settlements that are said to be worth £4.5 billion between them.

Ed Miliband suggested yesterday that he had only limited plans to reform the welfare state as he struggled to explain how Labour would avoid a rise in borrowing. In an interview that left some Labour MPs dismayed while delighting the Tory leadership, Mr Miliband refused repeatedly to admit that

David Cameron is preparing to disappoint the majority of Afghan interpreters working for British forces by refusing to resettle them in the UK. The Government is drawing up plans to ensure that most of the 600 workers remain in Afghanistan after Nato forces leave next year, provoking outrage from

Labour is exploring a cap on the welfare bill to balance higher spending on new homes and childcare. The Shadow Cabinet has agreed that the party needs to toughen its stance on benefits if it is to avoid being portrayed as “the welfare party”, as David Cameron called Labour this week. Ideas

David Cameron’s new policy chief has challenged him to consider building a new hub airport in the Thames Estuary “urgently” or risk long-term damage to Britain’s economy. Jo Johnson, the brother of the London Mayor, warned that delays and problems with the reliability of Heathrow were damaging